Flowers In Winter
by VeritaParlata
Summary: When Alexis is caught in the middle of the war brewing between Sonny and Anthony Zacharra, Sonny goes to great lengths to rescue her. But is she too far in to ever be saved?
1. Prologue: The Scent of Gardenias

Flowers In Winter

Rating: Mature  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from _General Hospital._

_**Premise:**_ "You see, Miss Davis... you mean more to him than you realize. Even more than he realizes..."

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**Prologue: The Scent of Gardenias**

The silence of the room mocked her.

Alexis Davis stood idly by the desk in the living room of Sonny Corinthos' home. The bodyguards she was accustomed to seeing allowed her entry and promised to alert Sonny of her presence. Checking her watch casually, the hours growing late, she hoped they'd hurry. She had other stops to make before she would finally be able to go home, but she needed to speak with Sonny about a matter concerning their daughter, Kristina.

Rocking back and forth on her high heeled pumps, Alexis profusely regretted coming over this late.

"_You're my daughter's mother, you and Kristina and Molly have access to my home at all times,"_ she remembered him saying. She remembered the way his coal eyes softened. He seemed to genuinely care for what happened to them. Seemed to almost want to protect them himself. For a moment it reminded her of the way things used to be between them.

How long ago all of that seemed. The shared times of friendship and camaraderie that sprung from a high successful professional relationship felt like a lifetime ago to Alexis. She had no doubt that Sonny felt the same. He was so busy with everything else, from Carly and the boys to Kate Howard and the coffeehouse, that he'd more than likely forgotten that they used to be friends once upon a time. Good friends. Best friends.

Though she'd never admit it aloud, Alexis reflected on those times more than she should. Especially of late. When she would go home to the fortress that is Wyndemere, when she would lay in bed at night after having kissed her sleeping daughters. She would lie in bed, listening to the deafening silence and remember times lost.

Even now as she stood there in his home, her mind brought forth the images of her walking into his old penthouse. Of the easy rapport they shared with one another. That friendship meant a great deal to her whether she ever admitted it or not. Whatever bumps they suffered, their friendship created their beautiful daughter.

After a few more moments of being alone in the room, and growing increasingly restless, Alexis looked around the room as she went to sit on the couch to wait. The room was dark and cluttered with wooden accents. The perfect room in a perfect fortress. No life and very little color accept for the gold box on the coffee table. The golden box was a flower box from the florist. Tied with red ribbon going diagonally across the edges, a white envelope was wedged between the box and the ribbon on one end. Kate was written across the envelope in Sonny's handwriting, meaning he'd gone to the florist to pick out the flowers himself.

Given everything she knew about him, Alexis had a hard time imagine Sonny in a flower shop. It just didn't fit the image.

Curious, she peered through the plastic to see the flowers inside and her face and heart fell a little.

The white petaled flower could not be mistaken.

Gardenias.

Her favorite.

Suddenly, Alexis felt silly. Silly and out of character. What on earth did she have to be upset about? That Sonny was giving Kate flowers? That's what men do when they're trying to be romantic. Sonny was certainly no slouch in the romance department. She knew him to be quite charming. Kate would love the flowers. So what they were gardenias... her favorite.

She had the fleeting image of Sonny placing the gardenia in her hair during their trip to Puerto Rico. She remembered the rum and the gambling and the dancing. She remembered falling into his arms and the way he smiled at her. And just as suddenly as before, she felt angry.

She knew she had absolutely no reason to be angry at all. And that made her even angrier.

Sonny didn't belong to her. They shared a daughter-- that was it. There was no relationship... barely a friendship. So what he was giving Kate Howard her favorite flower. So what he seemed more capable and content to give Kate the kind of relationship she longed for. So what he seemed happier with another woman... didn't she want him to be happy?

Another torturous moment slipped by and Alexis had enough of waiting. She'd never get anything done if she kept waiting for Sonny.

Standing, she turned and headed for the door with her head held high. She was the poised, confident attorney again. The sophomoric schoolgirl moment had passed and she was back. Without casting a glance back to the golden box on the table, Alexis left the room and Greystone, intent on forgetting she ever set foot there.


	2. Chapter 1: The Fury of a Patient Man

_**Chapter One: The Fury of a Patient Man**_

Anthony Zacharra was a patient man.

A very patient man who intimidated his friends and enemies with his collected demeanor. Who kept his wild son from completely destroying his name and everything he's worked to achieve. He was involved in a myriad of activities – legal and otherwise – successfully and without concern because... he was a patient man.

But even patient men had their limits.

Sonny Corinthos was sorely testing those limits.

Seated behind his large mahogany desk in his office on his lavish estate, Mr. Zacharra awaited a phone call. Tonight would be the night Sonny Corinthos realized just how far he would go to gain control. Tonight would be the night Sonny realized just how much he had to lose.

Mr. Zacharra almost felt sorry for the little racketeer.

Almost.

Picking up the glass of cognac, the perfectly square ice cubes clinked against the glass just they way he liked. He held the rim of the glass just underneath his nose and inhaled the sweet aroma then tasted it. Perfection. Pure perfection. Just like almost everything in his life. Everything was fine as long as he got what he wanted, and Anthony Zacharra always gets what he wants.

Right now, more than anything, he wanted to crush Sonny Corinthos. Wanted to watch the eyes of the younger man as his world is ripped away.

He's killed before. Had men and women kill at his command. He's committed heinous acts against anyone he had to... Sonny couldn't hardly compete with that. He had Jason Morgan, who at the moment probably picked up his vagrant son because Johnny never did _anything_ he was told. Jason was smart... or as smart as one could be with permanent brain damage. He should have informed his boss that they were vastly outnumbered. Where they had few who were loyal to the name... Anthony had many. Many men _and _women who would do his bidding... not in his name, but in the name of money. The large amounts of money they would acquire on a job well done and the comforting thought that they wouldn't be found lying face down in a shallow lake if they failed. When money is the goal... there are many who would jump at the chance to replace you.

Anthony made sure his people knew they could be replaced at any given moment.

When money didn't work as motivation... fear did.

But that's what made him a good businessman. He wasn't attached to anyone except his son. His loyalties lied with himself and him alone.

Sonny's loyalty lied all over the place. And it was this weakness Anthony chose to exploit to the fullest.

He was loyal to Jason Morgan, the loyal enforcer. Apart from the 'working' relationship, Sonny and Jason had a friendship. Anthony smiled at the sentiment. In this business there was no such thing as friends. There are only enemies and people waiting to become enemies. Whatever the case, Jason would hardly prove to be useful to Sonny when Anthony made his move tonight.

There was the lawyer, Diane Miller. Begrudgingly, Anthony had to admit that he admired Diane. She was out for one thing and one thing only – money. Her loyalties lied with who paid her the most and had he not already had Trevor Lansing on payroll, he would offer Ms. Miller a position in his organization.

There was the ex-wife, Carly, who had recently remarried a billionaire with a psycho brother. The loud and obnoxious blonde would probably be more trouble than she was worth and nothing good would come from that.

There was Kate Howard, the current girlfriend, but that was Trevor's problem to handle.

His children, Michael, Morgan and Kristina, were under constant surveillance and obtaining one of them would be hard enough let alone all three.

His men were expendable and not worth the trouble at all.

So many options. So much information... but so little time.

Right on cue, the phone on the edge of the desk rang. Anthony picked it up and slowly brought it up to his ear.

"Yes," he spoke low into the receiver, placing the glass of cognac back on the desk.

"_It's done,"_ the voice on the other end said.

"Excellent. I'll be awaiting your arrival," Anthony said before hanging up the phone.

The grandfather clock in the far corner chimed loudly announcing the midnight hour. Things were proceeding on schedule very nicely. His package would arrive within the hour and he would proceed to make Sonny Corinthos' world fall apart.

Smiling, coldly, again, Anthony couldn't help but feel superior. Sonny, honestly, had accomplished a lot. He worked his way up the ranks of the organization until the day he took it over. He's loved beautiful women and had children. He's made a name for himself within the organization and that was no easy task. But he lacked vision. He lacked the ability to see what was right in front of him.

Reaching into the desk full of files and pictures Anthony had created on Sonny and everyone ever associated with him, he pulled out a picture of Sonny's young daughter and her mother.

Alexis Davis. Natasha Cassadine.

The scorned lover and ex lawyer.

The key to bringing Sonny to his knees...

Anthony Zacharra was a patient man...

... but even patient men had their limits.


	3. Chapter 2: Prisoner

_Author's Notes: _I'm so sorry for the delay of this chapter and this story. I had the flu (awful) and then I had computer problems (just as awful) then life got in the way (no words can describe how awful) and then... writer's block. I'd rewritten this chapter three times before I finally decided to stop trying to tell the story and let the story...tell itself. (yes, I am a dork...lol)

In place of my writer's block, I made a couple of Sexis vids.

Without further ado... I present _Flowers in Winter_: Chapter Two (again, yes, I am a dork)

* * *

_**Chapter Two, Prisoner:**_

Every part of her hurt. From the top of her head to the tips of her toes. A dull throbbing ache crept into her slumber and sent shooting pains throughout her system until she was shocked awake and nearly screaming in pain.

Alexis opened her eyes to surroundings she wasn't familiar with. The pain she felt mixed with the grogginess resulting in nausea. Leaning over the side of the bed in immeasurable pain, she vomited on the hardwood floor.

Collapsing down to the bed again on her stomach, Alexis couldn't remember a time she felt worse. In fact, she couldn't remember anything at this moment. Not how she'd gotten so sick, or how she'd gotten in bed. Through her blurred vision she looked around the room that was not her own and fear crept into her.

She couldn't breathe.

For one moment, a split second in reality but and eternity to her, she couldn't breathe. Her lungs screamed for nourishment and burned like acid when that much needed breath was finally taken.

Tears brimmed her eyes but never fell. Maybe like her, they were too afraid to move. Alexis was indeed too afraid to move a muscle, too afraid that this nightmare was real… even though the pain coursing through her body was proof enough.

The faintest sound, something between a sob and a whimper, escaped her dry lips.

"Oh, dear," said a voice standing in the doorway. An older, gray-haired woman rushed inside the room with a bucket and cloth in hand. "I told those boys not to give you so much," she continued on. Alexis wasn't sure if the woman was speaking to her or herself. "I told them it would make you sick. I _told_ them."

With a _tsk _and a shake of her head, the woman got down on her hands and knees and proceeded to clean up the contents on the floor.

Something the woman said triggered a memory for Alexis. Shutting her eyes tightly as if the force of the memory caused her pain, she remembered standing on the docks awaiting the launch to Spoon Island.

"I'm on my way right now, Viola," Alexis told her nanny. She could see Wyndemere in the distance. The large and looming castle looked so intimidating at night… and she called it home. A home she couldn't wait to get to.

Laughing into the phone, Alexis could hear her daughters singing in the background. Then a loud masculine voice could be heard singing as well. Alexis laughed at her nephew Nikolas and rambled off a few more instructions for her nanny before a beeping sound indicated she had another call.

"Viola, I have another call," Alexis said. "I see the launch headed back this way. I should home shortly. Tell the girls I'll read them a story when I arrive. Thank you, Viola," she said and pushed a button on the phone ending the call and answering the other. "Alexis Davis," she said to the new caller.

"Alexis," Sonny's smooth voice washed over and her, and for a split second, she almost forgot she was mad with him.

Almost.

"What do you want, Sonny?" she asked, her voice conveying her annoyance. Though, again, she really had no reason to be upset. She knew that and it only served to upset her the more.

"To find out what you wanted," he said. The slight amused tone in his voice unnerved her. "Max said you dropped by. Why did you leave?"

"Because I am a very busy woman and I do not have time to sit around and wait for you to deem me important enough to speak with." The gardenias on the table sprung to mind. "I'm sure you were busy doing… whatever it is that you do."

"Alexis." The tone of his voice told her that she'd succeeded in annoying him as much as he had annoyed her. It was childish, but she didn't care. Giving another woman her favorite flower bothered her more than she would ever let him know. "You wouldn't have come over so late if it wasn't about Kristina. And if it's about Kristina it's important. So why don't you just tell me what it is so we can both go back to enjoying our evenings?"

Of all the condescending… "You're right, Michael, I wouldn't have come over so late if it wasn't about Kristina and anything about Kristina that I deem appropriate to share with you is important, but since you were so busy doing God knows what with Kate Howard or whomever else you must not have found it important enough to tear yourself away. So you don't have to trouble yourself with my trip to Greystone this evening or any other evening henceforth. Goodnight."

She snapped her phone shut and shoved it in her jacket pocket with violent force. That man was the biggest jerk on the planet, she was convinced. Those dimples and that sweet smile could only allow him to get so far. And even though she was furious with him at the moment, Alexis knew how far those dimples and that sweet smile had gotten him with her. She knew there was more under the surface that he only allowed a select few to see and once upon a time, she was one of them.

Mad at Sonny, and herself, Alexis didn't hear the footsteps coming down the stairs. She thought she felt a presence behind her, but she wasn't truly paying it any attention. Suddenly, and hand was around her mouth and a needle was puncturing the side of her neck.

The next thing she remembered was waking up in this bed… in this room… somewhere.

The older woman was still kneeling on the floor wiping up the last bit when Alexis tried to reach out her hand and touch her. It took all she had within to steady her shaking hand. To find her voice.

"Help me," she stuttered and whispered. Her voice cracking under the fear and emotional upheaval. "Please… h-help m-me."

The woman looked up into Alexis teary eyes with such caring and tenderness that Alexis knew she'd gotten through to her. The woman smiled sweetly and threw the cloth in the bucket. Standing up, she wiped her hands on her apron and looked down at Alexis' helpless frame. Stepping closer, watching as Alexis raised her hands upward, she pushed Alexis back down to the mattress.

"Let me get you some water and crackers for your stomach," she said as Alexis weak and distraught let the tears flow. She was scared and helpless and didn't care so much about crying now. Actually, the tears fell almost involuntarily. Like Alexis had no control over them at all. She was prisoner in her own body.

"That chloral hydrate will kill you if not diluted properly," the woman rambled on. She stopped at the wet bar on the other side of the bed, next to the window, and poured the water into the glass. She walked back to the side of the bed she'd been on and placed the crackers on the nightstand before helping Alexis sit up and drink the liquid. "I told them to take care in not giving you the whole dose. A woman your size would die in a matter of minutes as small as you are." She rubbed Alexis' head in a soothing manner as she held the cup and helped her ingest the fluids. "Afraid I can't do anything about the sickness though. That's just one of the things you have to go through until it's out your system."

She put the glass on the table and rose from the bed. Alexis grabbed her wrist and tried to hold on. Tried to make the woman see the fear in her eyes, but she couldn't. Her body just wouldn't cooperate. She tried to speak again, blinking several times to clear her blurred vision. The room began to spin.

"Shh, sweetie," the woman said. "Just go to sleep." She rubbed Alexis' head once again. "It'll all be over soon."

Even in her inebriated state, Alexis caught those words. They did little to comfort her. Her world had been turned on its end and it was far from ending. Indeed, it was only beginning.

"H-help," she whispered out, her voice audible to no one but her, and then mercifully… the world faded to black.


	4. Chapter 3: Missing Angel

_**Chapter Three: Missing Angel**_

Sonny sat fuming at the desk in his office at the coffeehouse. He's picked up, and hung up, the phone more times than he'd like to count. How dare Alexis hang up on him last night after implying that his daughter wasn't important to him? His children, _all of them_, were important to him.

Snatching up the receiver, he hit the speed dial and waited for the connection. He listened to the ringing over the line, practicing in his mind all the ways he'd tell Alexis off. He probably wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise knowing her. He never could when it came to the lady lawyer, but he'd be damned if he didn't try. What she said last night really hurt.

He wasn't so caught up in whatever he had going on with Kate that he wouldn't take time to discuss Kristina. Hell, he wasn't even _with_ Kate last night when she came over. He was upstairs on the phone with his sons, making sure he got to say goodnight to them… just as he does every night. Just as he does to Kristina every night.

And even if he was with Kate, what did it matter to her? What did it matter to her who he spent time with? She had no room to talk. Not when she insisted on spending all of her time with that maniac Jerry Jacks.

What was it about that woman that attracted self-absorbed, insane men? Men that could really do her some harm. Men that he would have to protect her _and_ Kristina from.

Voicemail. _Again_.

"Alexis, it's Sonny," he said and sighed heavily. All the words he'd wanted to say. All the ways he wanted to make her feel as badly as she'd made him feel just wouldn't come out. And he had no idea why. "Uh… just… call me."

He hung up more upset now than before.

Sonny was more upset with himself than Alexis. Sure, she'd intentionally cut him deeply last night, but she was probably doing it out of frustration. A lot has been going in her life lately. First, the threat of Anthony Zacharra and the disruption that caused. She had to move herself and the girls to Wyndemere for protection. A place that had just as many bad memories. A place that reminded her of times in her life that she'd rather forget.

Then, there was his brother Ric and Jerry Jacks and the never ending stress they put her under.

Alexis was frustrated and lashing out at him last night. He knew it then, just as he knew it now. But there was something in her voice last night. Something he couldn't quite place and it worried him.

He found himself wondering if maybe her battle with cancer wasn't quite as over as they'd hoped when the door to his office swung open with a violent force. Best friend and enforcer Jason Morgan walked inside and closed the door tightly after.

"We've got problems," Jason said in his usual dour manner. "Crimson Pointe has been stripped."

"What?" Sonny asked, irate.

"There is nothing there anymore," Jason said. "Just an empty estate." All the color drained from Sonny's face. "Somebody knew we were coming."

Sonny's jaw clenched tightly with anger and his dark eyes clouded over with unspoken rage. "You think Trevor tipped him off?"

Jason shrugged, honestly baffled at what could have happened. "I don't know. It's a possibility." He folded his arms across his chest. "It's also a possibility that Zacharra was never there at all. Trevor could have noticed the tail we had on him."

Rubbing a stern hand across his chin, Sonny conceded the notion. "Trevor's smart, he could have easily lead our guy to a vacant spot on purpose. While we're trying to figure out where Zacharra is… he's… making moves against us."

The thought that another threat could be brought down upon his family gave Sonny a horrible taste in his mouth. He looked at the pictures of his children that lined the desk. The thought that anything could happen to them, any one of them, made his skin crawl. He chose this life… not them. They shouldn't have to pay for his sins.

No one he cared about should have to pay for his sins…

"Alright, I want extra protection on my children, Carly, Kate… Alexis." He shared a look with Jason at the mention of Alexis. They both knew that she wouldn't accept the added security to her life but that point wasn't really up for discussion… from anyone. "Get Max and Milo underground to find anyone who works, has ever worked for, or knows someone who works for Zacharra and break them. I want to know anything there is to know about him… yesterday."

Jason nodded; cell phone already in hand to make the necessary calls. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to find Trevor Lansing and bring him to me." If his chilling tone of voice wasn't clue enough, the murderous look in his eyes gave away Sonny's intent. "It's time we put some much needed pressure on him."

Jason nodded and headed out the door. Opening it, he was faced with Kristina rushing in and wrapping her arms around his legs. She stared up at him with a wide grin while Viola stood just outside the door with Molly sleeping in her arms.

"Hey, Jason," Kristina said. Her cherubic face turning red when the tall blond man smiled down to her.

Bending down, Jason kissed the top of her head. "Peanut," he said, greeting her. He looked back to Sonny who was smiling despite the looming threat then excused himself, unwrapping Kristina from around his legs, who went running around him into her father's arms. He nodded to Viola and left.

Sonny pulled his daughter into a tight hug, reluctant to let her go. The thought that the danger surrounding his life could touch her, could for one instant take the light out of her eyes, forced all the air out of Sonny's lungs. He remembered when she and her brothers were kidnapped by Faith, remembered how lifeless and scared she was when she saw older sister Sam shoot and kill Diego Alcazar and he never wanted anything like that to happen to her again. Ever.

He kissed her cheek then brushed her hair behind her ear just the way she liked. "What are you doing here, Peanut?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be at your play date with Mandy?"

"Viola said she needed to talk to you before we went," Kristina answered, prompting Sonny to look up into the nanny's face. Even if he didn't know Viola as well as he did, Sonny knew he would have been able to tell something was wrong just by looking at her face. The poor girl looked as though she'd seen a ghost.

"It's regarding a personal matter about Miss Davis," Viola said, her voice cracking under obvious stress.

Sensing the news to be of a dire nature, and silently praying it had nothing to do with her cancer, Sonny bellowed for Max and Milo to enter the office.

"Hey," he greeted the men who entered promptly then looked to his daughter sitting on his lap. "Peanut, why don't you go and pick out some ice cream and snacks to take on your play date? Okay? Max and Milo will help."

Kristina's face contorted with confusion. "Dad, you never let me have sweets before dinner," the observant girl told him. Sonny smiled. She was so much like her mother.

"Well then I guess you better go before I change my mind, huh?"

He kissed her cheek and scooted her along.

"Max, take Molly, too," Sonny said. Whatever Viola had to say would upset her and he didn't want the baby to be privy to that. Alexis would never forgive him if he let someone upset her girls.

Viola let the bodyguard take the sleeping baby and watched him leave the room, closing the door softly behind him. Rising from his chair, Sonny offered Viola the seat in front his desk, noting how stiffly she sat down. This wasn't just nervousness… the girl was full of fear.

He walked to the wet bar and poured a glass of water for her. She drank it slowly, the glass shaking in her hands.

"Viola," Sonny's voice was surprisingly sensitive. "Tell me what's wrong."

The girl looked up into Sonny's face and she looked so fragile, like if he were to touch her she would crumble. "It's about Miss Davis."

"You said that."

"I'm sorry. I… just… I don't know who else to go to. Her nephew has been having emotional outbursts and… I just…"

"It's alright," Sonny consoled her. "Take a deep breath."

Viola did as instructed. The air filling in her lungs only seemed to choke her. "Miss Davis is missing."

The words hit Sonny like a ton of bricks.

"What?"

"She didn't arrive home last night on the last launch to the Island. I checked her room this morning and her bed hadn't been slept in. She would never go to sleep without talking to the girls and wishing them sweet dreams."

"What?" Sonny asked again, his brow creased in confusion. "I talked to Alexis last night. I called her."

"I spoke with her, too. She said she was at the docks awaiting the last launch. The ferryman said she didn't get on it."

The wheels in his head began to spin. None of the scenarios it conjured were pleasing. "Okay, okay, wait. Does Kristina know?"

"No," Viola adamantly shook her head. "I would never tell her anything like that. I told her that her mother probably left before she woke up. That she was probably busy with a big case."

Sonny had since moved from in front of the girl to the other side of the desk. He plopped down in the chair like the air had been forced from him. Running his hands through his hair, he couldn't think clearly.

"Missing?"

"I wanted to inform the police but she hasn't been missing a full twenty-four hours yet. They wouldn't be able… by then it… could be too late. Mr. Corinthos… she would never go to sleep without seeing the girls first or at least saying goodnight to them." The tears that brimmed her eyes fell now increasingly. "I'm sorry to just show up like this but… I didn't know what else to do."

"That's alright, Viola," Sonny assured her. "You did the right thing. Absolutely the right thing." He pulled out a tissue and handed it to the crying girl. "Alright," he said, walking again to her. "Pull yourself together and take Kristina and Molly to the play date. Don't let Kristina know anything."

"I won't, I promise. She's been through enough with Miss Davis' cancer." The idea hit her. "Could Miss Davis' cancer have come back? Could that be why she's… missing?"

"I don't know. I don't know. But I'll find out, okay? Everything will be fine."

Sonny wasn't sure who he was assuring the most: Viola or himself. He waited for her to leave with the girls before calling Max and Milo into the room. "I want the two of you to go and find Jerry Jacks and bring him to me. Alexis is missing and Jerry is her most dangerous client. Bring him to me but do it quietly. Can't have Jax and Carly involved. Then get Stan and have him put a trace on Alexis' and Jerry's phones. I want to know who they've been talking to."

His men left and Sonny sat alone in his office thinking about Alexis once again. Could the cancer have come back? Could she just need some time away to get herself together? But why wouldn't she try to keep some normalcy in the girl's life? Or could the dangerous life Jerry Jacks leads have been the cause of her disappearance? Or could his own impending danger have touched her.

He'd get answers. He had to. His daughter wouldn't lose her mother and he wouldn't lose one of his very best friends.

"What trouble has found you, Alexis?" Sonny whispered aloud. "And how do I save you from it?"


End file.
